What are the types of shaft misalignment?

Misalignment represents the arrangement of the driver and driven shaft in a straight line. There are three types of shaft misalignment in rotating equipment. They are.

1. Axial Misalignment
2. Parallel or Radial Misalignment
3. Angular Misalignment

   a. Axial Misalignment

   • The misalignment is in the axial direction hence the name axial misalignment.
   • Axial misalignment occurs when these shafts are still collinear but not perfectly aligned end-to-end.

b. Parallel / Radial Misalignment

• Parallel misalignment occurs when two shafts are parallel but there is an offset between them.
• Parallel misalignment is measured in radial direction hence it is also called radial misalignment.

c. Angular Misalignment

• Angular misalignment occurs when the two shafts are not perfectly parallel but intersect at an angle.